In 2016 by Divine Providence a group of friends met to form a charity – Room To Learn (RTL).

Six years on RTL have helped over one hundred little girls and boys. How? By providing free pre-school facilities to children from the poorest families in Kalimpong.

Living on £1.50 per day, like the two families shown here. There is no money to buy toys or books. These children are sensory deprived, lacking the mental stimulus in their environment that most toddlers we know today have in abundance. Starved of learning, stripped of their childhood, these children are prey to child labour, still prevalent in Kalimpong.

Or worse, under such stress, the parents often turn to drink. Some of the parents have never had a true childhood themselves. Most are poorly educated. This circle of unhappiness and helplessness needs to be broken.

This is how we break the chain. We take the child before they start primary school, place them in a safe space, a haven of learning. Give them books, colouring pens and paints, teach them to sing and dance and they blossom.

That’s what we at RTL do best, we give children a head-start, one firm safe step on the ladder of education. RTL has been so successful in its task that mums across Kalimpong are seeking our help.

Last year 80 families applied for their children to attend our free nursery.

This is the normal yearly intake for Happy Days nursery school.

What can we do about this? In 2022 we are stepping out in faith. We have secured two more nursery schools in Kalimpong, Paramount and North point. Including Happy Days nursery, we shall now have three schools where we can send the children.

Paramount

North Point

Happy Days

What about the present situation? During Covid, if the children cannot attend school, they received learning packs which the teachers have provided. Mums collect the packs on Friday. The following week they return the finished work their child has done, such as learning to draw, then colour in, Aa Bb Cc Dd and 1,2,3. This way they learn to say all the letters of the alphabet and numbers up to 20, or more if able.

Go to YouTube and type in Happy Days Nursery 2019 or follow link

“Can you help us?” It costs £160 per year, per child to place our children in a pre-school. Comparing other charity prices in India for the same package, we are low in cost. Being a small charity, all our work is voluntary, trustee pays their own expenses; flights; food, rent, all paperwork, printing and postage is paid by the Founders family. Not many charities can say this “Every pound you send us is spent on the children; none is wasted”. We use your donation wisely. The results we achieve are amazing. Those of our children who have moved on to primary school are often at the top of the class or very close to the top.

Please help us to help them. It is one way of lifting these families out of poverty. Let’s give them hope for the future in a struggling world. I noticed whilst writing this that learning without the L learning becomes earning. Our goal is that every child we reach will go on learning so when they leave school, they are knowledgeable and can earn a wage to support their own family and their parents.

Thank you

Founder, Room to Learn

Ann Mills.